China Hits Back at U.S. Over South China Sea

China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, approaches the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao after a training mission in the South China Sea.

Reuters

Beijing is refusing to back down in a verbal stand-off with the U.S. over China’s territorial ambitions in South China Sea, with China’s foreign ministry rejecting comments by a U.S. diplomat that Chinese moves threatened stability in the region.

The U.S. has recently cranked up rhetoric around Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, urging the country to respect international law and warning China against establishing an air defense zone in the area.

“As a sovereign state, China is fully entitled to take any measures it sees fit as regards air security, including the establishment of an air-defense identification zone, to safeguard national security,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said during a regular press briefing on Friday, calling U.S. comments on the issue “irresponsible.”

Mr. Hong’s comments came two days after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Danny Russel said in testimony on Capitol Hill that the U.S. did not recognize a similar air-defense zone China recently announced over the East China Sea and said China “should refrain from taking similar actions elsewhere in the region.”

Mr. Russel also questioned the legality of the so-called “nine-dash line” by which both China and Taiwan have laid claim to much of the South China Sea and asked China to clarify the reasoning behind it.

“China’s lack of clarity with regard to its South China Sea claims has created uncertainty, insecurity and instability in the region,” he said.

China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of a number of its neighbors, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. Beijing has grown increasingly aggressive in asserting its claims, stoking tensions in waters important for fishing, shipping and oil exploration.

Mr. Hong brushed aside criticism of the nine-dash line on Friday, saying it was established in 1948, a year before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, and had been “supported by successive Chinese governments.”

He also criticized the U.S. for helping to spread “rumors” about issues pertaining to the South China Sea drummed up by “right-wing forces in Japan.”

He did not clarify what those rumors were, though presumably he was referring to Japanese media reports saying China planned to establish an air-defense zone in the South China Sea.

“It’s very irresponsible behavior,” Mr. Hong said.

Correction & Amplification:
Danny Russel’s name was spelled incorrectly in an earlier version of this post.

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